Business and a Mobile App: Changing Traditions, Expanding Boundaries

Ever looked back down a decade and wonder how much business has changed down the years? With ever evolving tech, businesses need to be up on their toes when it comes to embracing newer technologies and understanding when not to switch to something new. Often, whether a business becomes successful, depends on the technologies and methodologies on use in the workplace.

Mobile apps have changed the way business is done. However, innovation has occurred rapidly, which have left the businesses struggling. As user expectation is much higher than a business can deliver, a new approach is required. Continuous Quality is key methodology for ensuring the app meets such user expectation.

Continuous Quality is involved in every step of software development from design to production. It optimizes the time a software reaches to market with minimum risk. However, to ensure the success of Continuous Quality key building blocks are required:

1. All device support
For the success of Continuous Quality, developers must ensure that tests are conducted for all current devices/OS profiles. In addition, app test lab must ensure that there is quick access to new releases and updates roll out on schedule.

2. Environments
Developers cannot develop mobile apps before knowing how server, network and device “wind tunnel” factors affect the performance. Lab that runs the Continuous Quality must test app on active devices capable of up linking and downlinking the data from various networks such as 3G, LTE, and Wi-Fi. These tests must be implemented in different regions around the globe. Emulators never provide the required level of intelligence and feedback, which ensures the performance and usability regardless of environment. Hence, real environment test are necessary.

3. Coverage Across SDLC
The test lab should support all scenarios from first day to post production. Software Development lifecycle test must include unit tests, functional tests, load tests, and user experience on live device. For those testing the app must be able to provide both empirical and visual data to allow developers to understand what users experience on the device.

4. Integrating existing tools
Test labs that ask users to learn new skill leaving the known environment could be ineffective. Instead, lab must provide open integration with eco-system coding languages, CI servers, IDEs, and frameworks.

By using Continuous Quality, app developers can quickly work and respond to new changes without compromising the quality. Right now, mobile adoption is growing much faster than web adoption was in 90s and 2000s. Mobile now has become major product platform for businesses and it will remain so.